"Lately, I've been seeing you around here a lot. Did you just start working out recently?"
"Huff... huff... Yeah?"
Suddenly, in an unexpected situation, Choi Marie approached me first and struck up a conversation.
It had been almost two weeks since I started dropping those bait lines, so it felt a bit late, but what mattered to me was the fact itself: Choi Marie had taken the bait.
"Whoa, w-wait a sec... Let me... catch my breath..."
"...Take your time."
Of course, separately from that, it would take a little time to recover from the aftereffects of forcibly manipulating my body to run just moments ago.
Fortunately, conversing in Runner's High state wasn't impossible, so after catching my breath for a bit, I responded to her.
"I've only been working out for about two weeks."
"I had a feeling. Your build doesn't exactly scream 'regular exerciser.'"
"Yeah..."
"Oh, I didn't mean it in a bad way. You're probably trying to bulk up from a skinny frame, right?"
"...That's part of it, but I started mainly for the entrance exams."
"Entrance exams? Oh, you mean Hunter Academy?"
"Yes."
I nodded along with Choi Marie's words, smoothly shifting the topic to Hunter Academy. As a first-year there already, she'd naturally be interested in that.
She might even build some favor since I could end up as her junior. Either way, as an original heroine, acting like Seo Woo-jin and finding common ground with her couldn't hurt.
"Are you a senior in high school? Or a repeater?"
"Hard to believe, but I'm a current high school senior."
"Ah, I didn't mean it like that. Just figured you were younger than me."
"So how old are you, then?"
At first, her tone carried a hint of wariness, like she was reacting awkwardly to a stranger.
If she'd jumped in excitedly from the start, like I'd been waiting for her to talk to me, it would've raised red flags instead. Especially for Choi Marie, who—with her striking looks—had likely been hit on by plenty of guys before.
Still, whether my acting was working or not, she started opening up with her own info to ease my wariness.
"Sorry, I should've introduced myself. I'm Choi Marie, first-year in the Defense Department at Cheonmu Hunter Academy. You said you're a senior, so I'm probably a year older?"
"...Lee Seon-ho, aspiring Combat Support Department student at Cheonmu Hunter Academy."
"Whoa, really? You're really aiming for Cheonmu?"
"...Yes."
"Then since I'm older and your senior by a year, we can drop the formalities, right?"
"...Do whatever you want, Senior Choi Marie."
"Great, great. Nice to talk to someone who gets it."
...As expected. The moment she learned I might be her junior, she dropped the formal speech right on cue.
It might come off as a bit cocky, but I didn't mind. The fact that she'd switched to casual speech meant her guard against me was basically down.
With her awakened ability that could crush most guys physically, she probably had that much confidence.
"So, junior... oh, not quite yet? You might not get in."
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't jinx me like that."
"Ah, sorry. But Cheonmu's pretty competitive. Didn't apply to other Hunter Academies?"
"No. It's close to home, and it just seems better than the others."
"Fair. It's the top Hunter Academy in Korea, after all. Still, bold move. I applied to Prime Academy and Myeongwol Academy back in my senior year too."
"Since you're at Cheonmu, you must've gotten into those two as well."
"Of course. They call me 'Indestructible Shield Choi Marie' at the academy for a reason—no classmate has broken through my shield yet."
"Impressive. ...But did you stop me just to brag, Senior?"
"Oh, right! Junior, you! Stop in running pose for a sec!"
"...Pardon?"
Just as I cut off the pointless chit-chat at the right moment, Choi Marie demanded I strike a pose.
The second I did as she said, she placed her hands on my arms and shoulders, starting to correct my form.
"Shoulders straight perpendicular to the ground. Arms bent at 90 degrees, hands lightly fisted like..."
"...Like this?"
"Yeah. Straighten your lower back too, and when your legs stride forward, bend them a bit to absorb impact like..."
She naturally adjusted my arms, shoulders, and waist with her hands.
Running awkwardly around her on purpose had definitely been the right call. I could tell her whole reason for approaching was to fix my sloppy form.
It took two weeks to lower her guard, but that was plenty of time to invest in building a connection with Choi Marie.
I hadn't enrolled in the academy yet anyway. And right now, there weren't many ways to meet the other heroines besides her.
"Try running a lap to test it. I'll keep an eye on your form."
"Got it."
Playing the obedient junior, I followed her instructions to the letter.
Her guidance as an active academy student made it feel way more comfortable. Though I'd been running sloppily on purpose before.
"How's it feel?"
"Definitely easier than before. Less strain on my knees and back."
"Duh. You were running all wrong till now. You have no idea how much it bugged me these past two weeks."
"...Sorry."
"It's not like you need to apologize; it just irked me. But now that it's fixed, it looks way better. Finally running properly."
Choi Marie spoke with satisfaction, clearly proud of correcting my form herself.
For a first impression, this was solid... Plenty of excuse to keep talking from here on out.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Hey, Senior Choi Marie."
That morning, after getting form correction from Choi Marie, that same evening.
I timed my workout to match hers again, entering the exercise trail and naturally striking up a conversation.
"Oh, junior. You were grinding in the morning too? Dedicated even at night."
"Morning and evening every day. Gotta build some stamina somehow for academy prep."
"You look different from how you seem. Combat Support doesn't even have a stamina test, right?"
"I don't want to drag down my future teammates. If my fitness holds back the combat types, that's just annoying."
"Whoa... Most support kids just do their job and call it a day, but you're full of surprises."
She nodded approvingly at my perfectly reasonable words, looking pleased.
Typical Combat Support students often played rear support roles with weak stamina, and she'd probably dealt with a few like that in team projects.
So hearing this from me naturally built favor. She probably had no clue I was farming her goodwill on purpose.
"Junior, don't slack on form. I said keep it natural, but consciously hold it at first."
"Ah, sorry..."
"Happens when you're not used to it. Oh, do you manage your diet with workouts?"
"Following stuff I found online. Breakfast is whole wheat bread with chicken breast sandwich and two pineapple slices. Dinner's light—two boiled eggs and a banana."
"No way? That's basically my diet. Crazy coincidence."
"You eat the same for breakfast and dinner?"
"Pretty much. Lunch is chicken salad and soy milk for me. Plus protein shakes before and after workouts."
"That's too intense for me... Lunch is just regular cafeteria food. Gotta gain some fat along with muscle anyway..."
"It's fine. You're new to this—no need to push. Still, get some protein shakes. Wasted effort if the gains don't stick as muscle."
"I'll look into it later. Too many types; no clue what to buy."
I gradually expanded our common ground by touching on shared topics in conversation.
Not volunteering info unless she brought it up first was deliberate too. Rambling unprompted could've raised her guard.
With at least two weeks till Cheonmu enrollment, I wasn't rushing, and her defenses were already this low—smooth sailing.
Might even conquer Choi Marie before Cha Eun-ju.
...Nah, overthinking it.
Truth was, Cha Eun-ju's conquest difficulty was rock-bottom for Lee Seon-ho specifically. Once I met her, I could reel her in easy.
She'd show up around written exams anyway; team up for practicals and bond then.
"So, no protein supplements in your current routine?"
"Not yet."
"Want one of mine? I usually get high-protein, but last time I messed up and got one with carbs. Good for skinny guys like you to bulk muscle and weight, though. Sound good?"
"I'd be grateful, but... you sure?"
"Totally. It'll just go to waste at home otherwise. Better to someone who'll use it."
"In that case, thank you."
"Cool. You'll be out tomorrow morning too, right? I'll bring it then."
"Yes, Senior."
"Good. But you better show."
A gift originally meant for the protagonist ended up in my hands by chance.
Sorry to Seo Woo-jin for stealing his growth opportunity with Choi Marie, but no reason to pass up this chance.
Meeting heroines before the original protagonist definitely had its perks—I was reminded once again.